This is huge! It isn't everyday you see folks electing to pay more taxes. It can be equally as hard to put a value on art. But the people of Detroit have accomplished both feats, adding a little more burden to their taxes to save themselves the burden of losing a piece of their culture, heritage, and arts community. And food for the soul, if you ask me.

Detroit not only gets to keep their museum, but with the new funding the museum can afford to have the supporting counties visit the museum for free! After voting at the polls, folks are voting with their feet: museum patronage jumped up from 2,600 visitors this time last year to 8,000 visitors this year.

DIA stays open, Detroit gets in for free, and the community has 5,400 more people than before talking about the arts. It is a win/win/win and should give us something to think about.

Community Impact

The Drama Studio is one of a handful of youth theatres in the United States that offers quality, range, and depth in its acting training programs. For Springfield-area youth, the Studio's conservatory program offers an unusual opportunity for training that prepares its graduates (all of whom are college bound) to...